By Lasisi Olagunju

“Don’t fight Man,” said Lion to his Cub, but the Cub didn’t listen. The Cub went looking for Man.

He saw a Bull. “Are you Man?”

“No, I bear Man’s yoke.”

Next he saw a Horse. “Are you Man?”

“No, Man rides me.”

Then he saw someone splitting logs with wedges: a Man!

“Fight me, Man!” said the Cub.

“I will! But first, help me split this log.”

When the Cub put his paws in the crack, Man knocked out the wedge, trapping the Cub’s paws.

The Cub finally pulled Man. loose and went home with bloody paws. Lesson learnt.

The author of that story is ancient storyteller, Aesop. He is believed to have lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 564 BCE. Thousands of years, yet his wisdom endures. American writer and writing instructor, Laura Gibbs, curates and retells the stories in uncountable numbers. If you like to fight, read the above story again. It is from Aesop via Gibbs.

When you saw ‘war’ in the headline above, you probably thought I was taking a long excursion into the latest theatre of the absurd: drama starring a minister and a soldier dragging an expensive land in Abuja. No.

There was a Yoruba musician called Ayinla Omowura. He was very popular and was rich and ‘powerful’. One day in May 1980, he drove his Mercedes Benz car to a beer parlour in Abeokuta in hot pursuit of his defected band manager. The jilted big man in a big car wanted back an old motorcycle from the ex-manager. There was a push, then a shove; and a fight. A tumbler, hurled in rage, struck the strongman on the head. The rich musician died in that barroom brawl and was buried that day; his place others took in music, in his hometown, and in his home.

MORE FROM THE AUTHOR:OPINION: Kukah And A Nation Of Marabouts

Big people take big risks. Sometimes they drag all of us into their trouble. Home and abroad, tired, retired, unretired, almost all Generals, Colonels, Majors, captains and sergeants and corporals lined up behind a ramrod naval Lieutenant. The drill was scary. Think about this: What do you think would have happened to our country if any of the key actors had suffered what Omowura suffered in that moment of anger and banger? And all because of land; earth which belongs to no one. Even Elephant knows that the earth only lends space to those who walk gently upon it. Fragile Chameleon is asked why he walks gingerly. He answers: “So that the ground will not cave in.”

There is another lesson in power and contest for space, this one pure, carefully recorded history:

One hundred and sixty five years ago, Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther’s son, Dr. Samuel Crowther Junior, had just returned to Abeokuta from medical school in London. Abeokuta’s native doctors who thought themselves ‘physicians’ were hostile to what he brought. They said no to him practising his alien art in their sphere of influence. There was a face-off, followed by a standoff. They said their power was mightier than the power of the foreign medicine man. When iron strikes iron, one must bend. A contest of powers was agreed upon between the two sides.

Details of that war of ‘medicine’ is told by an eyewitness, Robert Campbell, in his ‘A Pilgrimage to My Motherland’ (1861); the story was reproduced a hundred years later by A. H. M. Kirk-Greene in his ‘America in the Niger Valley: A Colonization Centenary’. So, how did the battle go? Listen to Campbell:

“Time was given for preparation on both sides. In the afternoon, the regulars appeared, clothed in their most costly garments, and well provided with orishas or charms attached to all of their persons and dress. In the meantime Mr. Crowther had also prepared to receive them. A table was placed in the middle of the room, and on it a dish in which were a few drops of sulphuric acid, so placed that a slight motion of the table would cause it to flow into a mixture of chlorate of potassa and white sugar. A clock was also in the room, from which a small bird issued every hour, and announced the time by cooing. This was arranged so as to coo while they were present.

MORE FROM THE AUTHOR:OPINION: Donald Trump’s Wildfire For The Bad Men!

“Mr. Crowther then made a brief harangue, and requested them to say who would lead off in the contest. This privilege they accorded to him. The door was closed, the curtains drawn down. All waited in breathless expectation. Presently the bird (in the clock) came out, and to their astonishment cooed twelve times, and suddenly from the midst of the dish burst forth flame and a terrible explosion. The scene that followed was indescribable: one fellow rushed through the window and scampered; another in his consternation took refuge in the bedroom, under the bed, from which he was with difficulty afterwards removed.”

I took the script of that 1860 ‘drama’ to my friend, the scientist. The clock, the cock and the chemistry cocktail. What really happened? My friend said a people that cannot grasp scientific concepts becomes vulnerable to fear and superstition. Dr. Crowther simply staged a drama, essentially a controlled chemical explosion: sulphuric acid (dehydrator and acid catalyst); sugar (fuel), and potassium chlorate (oxidizer). From my friend I learnt that “the mixture reacts violently when combined, producing flame, smoke, and noise.”

MORE FROM THE AUTHOR:OPINION: Escaping From Nigeria

Crowther did not shout, boast, or brandish charms and amulets; there was no incantation. No abuse. No insults. He simply applied science; chemistry: sulphuric acid, sugar, and potassium chlorate; an elegant, potent sequence of oxidiser, fuel, and catalyst. With a clock-bird timed to coo and trigger panic, and with a well-placed chemical reaction prepared to ignite and explode, the young doctor used knowledge (not noise) to demonstrate and assert superiority.

Curses, threats and abuse are pollutants. We had more than enough last week. But enough has been said already about the Abuja land war since it unfolded last week. The raw lesson there is that real, unleavened authority easily defeats loud, raw hubris.

Central to the Abuja land drama of last week is anger and the use of language. It may be too late to bend our dry fishes. But, how do we avoid it in the next set of leaders? I end with this 170-year-old quote:

“Do all in your power to teach your children self-government. If a child is passionate, teach him by gentle and patient means to curb his temper. If he is greedy, cultivate liberality in him.
If he is selfish, promote generosity.
If he is sulky, charm him out of it,
by encouraging frank good humor…”(‘How to teach Children’ published in ‘The R. I. Schoolmaster’, Vol. 1, No. 5 JULY, 1855).

The Independent National Electoral Commission on Sunday released the new voter registration figures totaling 2,316,232 nationwide, showing wide variation across the states, with Osun topping the list.

INEC reiterated in its notice that “registration is suspended in Anambra State until after the governorship election on 8th November 2025 in line with Section 9 (6) of the Electoral Act 2022,” leaving the state without figures in the latest update.

INEC described the update as part of its ongoing effort to maintain transparency in the continuous voter registration process, stating that the figures represent “completed online and physical registration for Week 12.”

According to the commission, Osun posted the highest total with 185,089 completed registrations, followed by Imo with 143,386. Kano recorded 132,290, while Sokoto reached 123,320.

READ ALSO:INEC CVR: CSO Expresses Worry Over Poor Deployment Of Machines, Manpower To LGs In Edo

Lagos followed at 109,693; the Federal Capital Territory at 106,855, and Borno at 106,376. Kogi registered 91,573; Jigawa, 88,209; Zamfara, 84,268; and Katsina, 80,425. Kaduna recorded 78,282; Kebbi 74,159; Delta 72,311, and Ogun 71,091. Niger posted 69,739; Akwa Ibom 65,446, and Oyo 64,561.

Adamawa recorded 49,853; Kwara, 47,241; and Yobe 46,986. Rivers documented 57,251, placing it above many mid-range states, while Benue had 42,557, and Bayelsa had 38,627. Bauchi recorded 36,166; Ekiti 32,096; Gombe 31,542, and Nasarawa 30,348.

Ebonyi followed with 28,310; Edo with 27,130, and Plateau with 24,077. Taraba recorded 17,803; Enugu 16,304; Ondo 16,012; Cross River 14,559, and Abia 12,297.

READ ALSO:Edo Govt, APC Bicker Over Alleged Shooting, Attack On INEC CVR Personnel

The CVR is scheduled to end in August 2026. Since the exercise began on August 18, 2025, states in the South-West, particularly Osun and Lagos, have consistently led in registration numbers.

Recent updates indicated a rising trend in participation from northern states, driven by intensified mobilisation efforts.

Community-based organisations, religious leaders, and local officials in several northern states have been actively promoting voter awareness and encouraging eligible residents to register.

Nigerians were last night divided over the report that Navy Lieutenant Ahmad M. Yerima narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in Abuja, with many now questioning whether the incident happen exactly as described.

Initial reports from multiple news platforms claimed Yerima was trailed by two unmarked Hilux vans without number plates, prompting a high-speed chase and a “tactical manoeuvre” that allegedly saved his life.

The report quoted military sources who said the vehicles allegedly followed him from the NIPCO Filling Station off the Line Expressway to Gado Nasco Way at about 6:30p.m.

READ ALSO:Defence Minister Reacts Yo Wike–Naval Officer Clash

The source added that the matter is under investigation and is receiving “the seriousness it deserves,” noting that further details are being withheld so as not to compromise the process.

The development comes days after Yerima, while on duty with other security personnel, engaged in a tense confrontation with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike over a disputed land site in Gaduwa District. The clash, captured on viral videos, sparked widespread public debate and prompted intervention from the Presidency, which subsequently halted the demolition exercise at the site.

But as the story spreads, so do doubts. Critics argue that the details remain vague and rely heavily on Yerima’s personal account, with no confirmed CCTV footage, eyewitness statements, or official security briefings to back the claims. Some security analysts say the descriptions sound “too cinematic,” raising the possibility of misinterpretation or exaggeration.

READ ALSO:Naval Officer In Face-off With Wike Breached The Law — SAN

Adding to the skepticism is the timing of the report, coming just days after Yerima’s viral confrontation with Wike over a halted demolition exercise. While social media users have tried to link both events, officials insist there is no evidence connecting Wike or any political figure to the alleged chase.

Already, military veterans nationwide have criticised Wike for verbally insulting the officer and rejected calls for disciplinary action against Yerima. Spokesman for the Coalition of Retired Veterans, Abiodun Durowaiye-Herberts, warned that ex-service members would “occupy the office and residence of the FCT Minister” if the officer faced any punishment.

Many others want clarity: Was the officer truly targeted, or is this a case of panic amplified by public emotion and online speculation? Investigators are yet to provide answers.